—you can hammer a rival with dirt all you want, dig up whatever muck you can find. But if that dirt splashes onto others, you don't just keep quiet—you bury it deep. Let a scandal taint the whole industry, and the fallout's so massive no one can shoulder it.
Dunn wanted to take Disney down, cementing Dunn Pictures as a Hollywood titan. But tanking the industry's rep? No way.
Disney's the granddaddy of animation, known in the biz for squashing other studios' toon flicks. It's an open secret—but you can't say it out loud. Even DreamWorks wouldn't dare call out Disney's chokehold on their animated films. Was Dunn really gonna wade into that mess?
His expression steadied as he spoke calmly. "Hollywood's a fair place. If it were all about bullying, we wouldn't have so many great studios thriving, right?"
Tony Duval frowned. "But I've heard competition here's cutthroat."
Dunn straightened up. "Hollywood's got a healthy market, and where there's a market, there's competition—totally normal. Like when Dunn Pictures and Disney drop films at the same time, and Disney's left bleeding cash. That's good competition—it pushes both companies to grow. I'm sure Disney loves it too. As for dirty tactics… I can't speak for other industries, but Hollywood? It's a model of playing by the rules."
Tony smirked inwardly. Dunn's prim-and-proper vibe screamed caution—he wasn't about to spill any tea on this topic.
"Ha, let's pivot back to movies then. Spider-Man's been out nearly two months, and the buzz is fading. Girl, Interrupted hasn't exactly owned the box office. Word is Dunn Pictures has Memento hitting in September—can it pick up where Spider-Man left off?"
Dunn chuckled. "Even Disney can't promise every film's a hit, can they?"
Tony glanced at his notes, jumping in. "August 25th, Disney's got a comedy, The Crew, coming out. September 15th, it's Duets, same day as Memento. Think Dunn Pictures can outgross Disney this time?"
Dunn's lips twitched into a faint smile. "Box office? Nobody can predict that. But… this summer, Spider-Man already stomped three Disney flicks. Girl, Interrupted and Memento aren't your typical blockbusters, but they're Dunn Pictures films. Stepping on Disney twice more? Not out of the question."
Tony's eyes gleamed. "So, you're saying Girl, Interrupted beats The Crew, and Memento tops Duets?"
"That's your take—I didn't say it." Dunn laughed it off, then shifted gears. "Disney used to be just an animation outfit. They only got a foothold in Hollywood after United Artists and RKO went bust. Their films… honestly, they're the weakest of the Big Six. If I'm picking a market fight, Disney's my first choice."
"Because they're an easy target?"
"Nah, because the other studios are just too damn strong!"
Michael Eisner slammed the newspaper onto his desk, fuming. This Dunn kid—arrogant as hell! Teetering on the edge, and he's still grandstanding for the press? Saying the other studios are too tough, so he's stuck scrapping with Disney—wasn't that a blatant dig at Disney being the Big Six's bottom feeder?
Worse, the punk kept his words tight, toeing the line to prop up Hollywood's dignity while slyly kissing up to the other majors, aiming all his jabs at Disney alone. Was this his counterattack?
Big deal!
Sure, he could run his mouth, trash Disney's movies in the media—what else? Solve Dunn Pictures' current crisis? Fat chance!
Dunn's open taunts only deepened the rift between their companies—no hope of patching things up now. Eisner didn't buy that a rookie like Dunn could handle this storm, but smearing Disney's image in the press? That was too far.
Check out what the papers were screaming—
"Dunn's Got Big Dreams: Aiming for a Five-Film Box Office Beatdown of Disney!"
"Disney Movies Suck? Dunn Pictures Throws Down the Gauntlet."
"Billionaire Director Speaks: Disney's Films Are Trash!"
"Dunn Pictures Keeps Rolling, Crushing Disney Again!"
"Dunn Pictures Sweeps Disney—Big Six Shakeup Coming?"
If those headlines were tolerable, the tabloid trash nearly made Eisner spit blood—
"Shocker! Disney's Michael Eisner Begs Dunn on His Knees!"
"Disney Films Get Slaughtered—Eisner Faces the Axe!"
"Dunn Crushes Disney, Eisner Pleads for Mercy!"
"Dunn Pictures Strikes Again—Eisner Hospitalized!"
"Dunn Stomps Eisner Underfoot…"
Eisner had ruled Hollywood for over 20 years—when had he ever been humiliated like this, name and all? Kneeling and begging? Screw that! If anyone's kneeling, it's that smug brat Dunn Walker. Eisner had laid a master trap, and the kid had already backed down.
A few box office wins, and Dunn Pictures thinks it's king of Hollywood? Idiots!
Rage boiling, Eisner dialed the production department. "Girl, Interrupted is out—you know that, right?"
Joe Roth's gut twisted. "Uh, yeah."
"The Crew's a comedy, out ten days after Girl, Interrupted. Beating it at the box office—no problem, right?"
Eisner's tone was sharp, and Joe stammered, "Well, The Crew's a comedy, sure, but no big stars. Girl, Interrupted has Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman leading…"
"A commercial comedy can't take down a niche drama?" Eisner's voice turned icy.
Joe was miserable. Normally, he'd thump his chest and promise victory. But with Dunn behind Girl, Interrupted—a guy who'd burned him too many times—he couldn't risk it.
"Uh… hard to say…"
"Useless!" Eisner roared, pausing before barking, "What about Duets? Gwyneth Paltrow's an Oscar winner—it's up against Memento same day. That's a lock, right?"
Joe mumbled, "Duets is a drama—box office pull's… probably not great."
"What?" Eisner's fury spiked. "Girl, Interrupted is a drama too, isn't it? Joe, you playing favorites with me?"
"No, no!" Joe was drowning in frustration. "Boss, it's not that. Dunn Pictures' films—we can't judge them by normal rules."
Eisner's teeth ground together, anger blazing.
Joe took a breath and blurted, "Boss, I'll say it again—November's Unbreakable will turn things around, I swear!"
"November?" Eisner snarled. "That's three months away! You mean Disney's just gonna sit here and take that punk's insults 'til then?"
"Uh… well…"
Joe fumbled, incoherent.
"Worthless!"
Eisner slammed the phone down, stewing for a moment before smacking his desk with a loud thud. He couldn't believe a newbie with three, four years in the game could rattle him this bad.
Especially now—Eisner had made his move, rallying Hollywood against Dunn Pictures. And the kid still had the guts to shoot his mouth off, defying everyone? Did he want out that bad?
Eisner skimmed Dunn's LA Times interview again, shaking his head with a sigh. Too bad the kid played it safe, targeting only Disney and Eisner himself, not the industry. Triggering the MPAA's wrath wasn't an option.
The MPAA—Motion Picture Association of America—sounds official, but it's just the Big Six's club, guarding Hollywood's shared interests. With their clout, they've got unmatched sway. If some country overseas rips off Hollywood copyrights, they can even pull strings at the White House or State Department for diplomatic muscle. If they can flex that hard globally, a small fry studio at home? Child's play.
An official MPAA smackdown, and Dunn's fame wouldn't save him—he'd be out of the biz. But the kid was too careful…
Just then, Disney President, COO, and ABC Group Chairman Robert Iger stormed in, face grim.
"Michael, it's bad!"
"What now?"
Eisner froze.
Robert's voice was heavy. "The five major agencies just notified us—Dunn Pictures issued a blacklist against Disney!"
"What?!"
Eisner jolted, then burst into wild laughter.
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